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Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.
63 Episodes
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Larsen Jenson is a 2x Olympic medalist, former U.S. Navy Seal and founder of Harpoon Ventures and Vector Defense. Their convo covers: - Founders must thrive in discomfort. - Startup failure in the U.S. vs other countries. - Why Harpoon invested in Firestorm. 00:00 – Intro. 01:41 – The Origin Story: From almond farming to Olympic Silver and Bronze medals. 04:10 – Joining the Navy SEALs: Seeing the technology gap on the battlefield. 06:15 – The Psychology of Success: Being comfortable in unco...
Larsen Jenson is a 2x Olympic medalist, former U.S. Navy Seal and founder of Harpoon Ventures and Vector Defense. They dive into: - Founding one of the first defense tech VCs before anyone in Silicon Valley cared. - Geopolitical urgency and rapid tech progress. - VC trends: why physical products are making a comeback. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: The "Tequila Story" and the shift in defense investing. 01:23 – Guest Introduction: Larsen Jensen and the Harpoon Ventures mission. 03:04 – Defining...
Are our adversaries building ethical AI? Dive into it on the pod with Lt. Col. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, former combat pilot, and former Commander of the Air Force F-22 Demo Team. Since leaving active duty, he serves in the Nevada Air National Guard as an F-22 Subject Matter Expert, works for a private company as a corporate pilot flying the Challenger 300 aircraft, and consults for aviation clients. Hear his takes on ethics in the military, democratizing defense tech, strategic b...
Are our adversaries building ethical AI? Dive into it on the pod with Lt. Col. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, former combat pilot, and former Commander of the Air Force F-22 Demo Team. Since leaving active duty, he serves in the Nevada Air National Guard as an F-22 Subject Matter Expert, works for a private company as a corporate pilot flying the Challenger 300 aircraft, and consults for aviation clients. Hear his takes on ethics in the military, democratizing defense tech, strategic b...
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy continues his conversation with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. In Part II, Brett offers his expert predictions on the future of the drone industry, the emerging threat of nefarious drone use, and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur in deep tech. Brett shares his candid thoughts on the drone industry's biggest surprises, from the saturation of the consumer market to the game-changing use of FPV drones in Ukraine. He exp...
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Brett Kanda, Director of DFR Sales at Flock Safety. Brett pulls back the curtain on the revolutionary "Drone as a First Responder" (DFR) program, explaining how automated drones are transforming law enforcement and public safety. Brett shares his unique journey from being one of the original pioneers in the drone industry back in 2012 to leading the charge in deploying DFR systems across the country. He reveals critical lessons lear...
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with Aaron Jacobson, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and the lead investor in Firestorm's Series A. Aaron pulls back the curtain on what top-tier venture capitalists look for when investing in the future of robotics, autonomy, and defense technology. Aaron shares his unique journey from a young gamer obsessed with StarCraft and EverQuest to a leading investor shaping the future of deep tech. He reveals the critical lessons he ...
In Part II of our interview with Sam Bendett, Dan Magy continues the deep dive into how unmanned systems are transforming modern warfare—this time, focusing on the maritime domain. Sam explores how commercial tech is enabling smaller nations to rival traditional naval powers, why large legacy systems like aircraft carriers may soon be vulnerable, and how even civilian cargo ships could be weaponized through modular drone-launch systems. They also discuss the implications of proxy confl...
Today, Dan Magy welcomes back Sam Bendett, open-source intelligence expert and senior fellow at CNA, for a hard-hitting breakdown of how drone warfare is evolving at breakneck speed. Sam explains how Ukrainian innovation and Russian industrial adaptation are reshaping military doctrine, what happens when thousands of drones are unleashed in a single night, and how the rise of unmanned systems is exposing weaknesses in NATO’s readiness. From North Korean pilots learning drone tacti...
In the second half of this Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy continues with Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore to dig into what sets Turn AI apart from defense incumbents and Silicon Valley hopefuls alike. This episode shifts focus from tech specs to team dynamics, culture, and strategic edge—how a fast, focused startup can outmaneuver giants. They explore what it takes to build critical infrastructure from scratch, what it means when Big Tech starts referencing your patents, and why passion, sp...
In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore, co-founders of Tern AI, for a deep dive into one of the biggest hidden vulnerabilities in modern life—our overdependence on GPS. Drawing from elite military operations and hard-earned lessons in AI innovation, they lay out why signal-based navigation is no longer reliable—and what it means for warfighters, civilians, and the future of autonomy. They unpack how GPS failures are already affecting real-world op...
In Part II of this candid Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy is joined once again by James Cross and Chris Donaghey to dig into one of the most pressing problems in modern warfare: how to scale effective defense technologies fast enough to matter. From next-gen laser systems to why small companies rarely survive the primes, this episode explores the gritty realities behind mission kills, demo culture, and why venture-backed defense tech often loses despite superior capabilities. The discussio...
In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by defense investors and Silicon Valley Defense Group founders James Cross and Chris Donaghey for a high-octane discussion on the present and future of military innovation. From production bottlenecks to geopolitical realignments, the trio explores what it will take to actually deliver at scale—and at speed. They talk about why hardware is hard, the myth of acquisition reform, and how Europe and Asia are carving out their own defense ecosyste...
In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with a leading voice in the defense innovation space to unpack the future of military manufacturing. From flying CH-53 helicopters in the Marine Corps to pioneering advanced industrial capabilities at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), our guest shares a compelling journey through aerospace, entrepreneurship, and public service. Together, they explore the intersection of autonomy and manufacturing, the fragility of U.S. supply chains, an...
In Part II of our interview with Jake Windle, we zoom out from battlefield innovation and into the bigger picture: how the defense ecosystem is evolving, and why venture capital is now a critical tool for national security. Host Dan Magy and Jake explore what defines "Defense Tech 2.0," how bureaucratic gridlock stalls promising solutions, and why the military must rethink how it evaluates risk. Jake also shares advice for founders looking to work with the DoD and explains how Harpoon ...
In Part I of this special two-part episode, host Dan Magy reconnects with an old friend—Jake Windle, former Master Chief at Naval Special Warfare and now a partner at Harpoon Ventures. The conversation kicks off with Jake's transition from elite military operations to early-stage tech, and how he became one of the first to identify drones as a rising threat on the battlefield. Jake shares the origin story of Citadel Defense and recounts the scrappy, experimental beginnings of counter-UAS war...
Part I: From Defense Primes to Deep Tech Startups In this special two-part edition of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with defense tech entrepreneur Nathan Mintz, CEO of CX2, for a wide-ranging conversation on innovation, autonomy, and the evolving front lines of national security. Nathan reflects on his early engineering work at Boeing and Raytheon, then dives into his transition into the startup world. He shares the founding stories of Epirus—recognized for pioneering microwave weapo...
Part II: Attritable Warfare, UGVs, and the Future of Combat In Part II, Sam Bendett returns to break down the real-time innovation shaping Russia and Ukraine's unmanned arsenals. We examine the shift to fiber optic-controlled drones, the rising role of attritable assets, and how military bureaucracies are struggling to keep up with front-line innovation. Sam explains how Ukraine’s “Brave One” platform is setting a new standard for rapid drone deployment and feedback integration. He also hi...
Part I: OSINT, Telegram Warfare & Tactical Innovation In Part I of our conversation with Sam Bendett, we dive deep into how the war in Ukraine is being shaped not only on the battlefield—but online. Sam, a leading expert in open-source intelligence and Russian military adaptation, breaks down how Telegram and other platforms have become real-time war theaters. He explains how grassroots innovation from soldiers, startups, and volunteers is overtaking traditional top-down military system...
Autonomous Frontlines and the Rise of Stark: Florian Seibel on the Future of Drone Warfare Florian Seibel returns for part two of our Drone Wars conversation to unpack the deeper implications of autonomy in warfare and the launch of his new company, Stark. He discusses why gamified training, fast software cycles, and modular drone design are critical to staying ahead. Dan and Florian also explore ESG constraints in Europe, the ethics of AI on the battlefield, and how Western nations can com...
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